


Is it my fault? (We've been missing each other)

by YoureNotDoneFighting



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-24
Updated: 2014-08-21
Packaged: 2018-02-10 06:25:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2014476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YoureNotDoneFighting/pseuds/YoureNotDoneFighting
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a routine mission threatens to go South, Oliver and Felicity are forced to improvise to maintain their cover. Neither of them could have predicted where the repercussions of their split-second decision would lead them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**"I took a walk on a Saturday night. Fog in the air just to make my mind seem clear. Where do I go from here? I see my breath pushing steam through the air. Shaking hands run through my hair. My fears, where do I go from here?" — "My Fault" by Imagine Dragons**

* * *

 

Felicity could hear Oliver calling her name, but she didn't stop, and she most certainly didn't look back. She pushed her way through Verdant's Saturday night crowd and onto the dark street, rounding the building before she finally chanced a glance over her shoulder. For the first time ever, she was glad he hadn't followed her.

A group of college co-eds passed, laughing and joking, on their way into the club, and for a moment Felicity tried to remember what it was like when life was simple. Normal.

She pressed her back against the side of the building and closed her eyes, lifting her face to the sky and letting the now quiet night wash over her. She wasn't sure if the flush she felt was from the cool evening air on her warm skin or from the fact that she could still feel Oliver's lips moving against hers; His hands cording through her hair; Their bodies pressed so close together that she lost track of where she ended and he began.

"Damnit," she whispered, opening her eyes. She inhaled deeply, trying to calm her racing heart and decided that, instead of driving home, she would walk to clear her head.

Kissing Oliver was as mind-bending and incredible as she always imagined it would be, and despite that her heart was aching.

The mission was supposed to be simple reconnaissance — information gathering to try and determine who was distributing the new Vertigo drug inside Starling City's nightclubs, and the op was going according to plan. Oliver waltzed into Posh and made quick work of distracting the club's owner Elena Torino, while Felicity snuck into her office to copy files from her computer.

She was almost in the clear when Diggle's voice came over her comm unit. "Felicity, get out of there. Elena's en route to her office." The download completed just as Felicity was pulling the flash drive from the laptop, but she was still kneeling in front of Elena's desk as the office door swung open. She looked up with wide eyes and was only slightly surprised to see Oliver, not Elena, in the doorway.

"Oliver, we have to get out of here," Felicity said, grabbing his arm. "No time," he said, glancing over his shoulder. Before Felicity had time to process what was happening, Oliver had pulled her to her feet and pushed her up against the wall. "I'm sorry," he whispered, and then his lips were on hers. White-hot fire shot through Felicity, and she quickly responded to his kiss by wrapping her hands around his neck to pull him closer. His hands, which were tangled in her long, blonde hair, began to move down her body until they reached her hips, and he gripped them tightly, pulling her flush against him. She tilted her head back against the wall, an invitation Oliver took willingly, and he began pressing searing kisses down her neck onto her collarbone.

"What the HELL is going on in here?" Felicity's eyes shot open at the sound of Elena's voice, and she searched Oliver's face. He looked calm, but she knew better. She could still feel his heart beating wildly beneath her hand, which had made its way down to his chest. His breathing was heavy against her face. The entire encounter hadn't lasted more than a minute or two, but Felicity knew that Oliver was just as affected as she was.

He took a half step back from Felicity and looked toward the door, where Elena was standing. "Sorry, I just couldn't help myself," he said, flashing Elena his trademark smile, the one Felicity knew made most girls weak in the knees. It took everything she had not to roll her eyes. Oliver grabbed Felicity by the hand and pulled her out of the office. He didn't let go until they were outside, on his Ducati and heading back toward the foundry.

Felicity's phone vibrating in her pocket was enough to jerk her back to the present. She pulled it out, relieved to see that it was Diggle. She took two deep breaths before answering.

"Hi."

"Hey there. You all right?" Hearing Digg's voice soothed Felicity in a way that only he could do.

She sighed, and pointedly ignored his inquiry with a question of her own. "So, how long do I have before he catches up with me?"

"He left on the bike about five minutes ago."

"I'm surprised he hasn't tried calling," Felicity said, checking the time on her phone. She'd been walking for at least 20 minutes."

Diggle chuckled, "It's hard to make calls on a phone that's broken into pieces." Felicity stopped walking and pressed the back of her hand to her forehead in frustration. "Ugh. Another one?" "He was pretty pissed when he saw your car still parked outside and realized you were on foot," Diggle said. "And I have to be honest, I don't blame him."

"Digg, please. Not now," she implored.

"Felicity, you shouldn't be walking around in The Glades by yourself, ever, let alone at night." If they'd been having this conversation face-to-face he'd probably be leaning against the metal medical table, with his legs crossed at the ankles and his arms crossed over his chest, chin tilted down slightly. Felicity smiled, in spite of herself, as she pictured him.

"I know," she said, quietly. "I just needed to get out of there and clear my head."

"He told me what happened. I get why you're upset with him."

"I'm not mad at Oliver," Felicity said, tilting her head back again to look up at the clear night sky. "I'm mad at myself."

Felicity didn't have time to explain because she could hear the roar of the Ducati approaching from behind her. "Sounds like my ride's here. Good night, John."

"Night Felicity." She ended the call and placed the phone back in her pocket as Oliver pulled the bike up to the curb. She stopped walking but didn't turn toward him.

"Get on," he said, flipping the visor up on his helmet.

"Oliver, I'm almost home. Just let me walk," she said, unable to meet his eyes.

"Felicity, please." It was the way he said her name, and the word please, that made her finally look at him. He'd removed his helmet, and in his eyes, Felicity could see that he looked the way she felt. Tired. Defeated. Heartbroken. Without a word she swung her leg over the side of the bike and settled in behind him.

He handed her a second helmet and squeezed her hands, which were already wrapped around his waist. "Hold on tight."

"I'm tired. Can you just take me home? I'll come back for my car in the morning," she asked, resting the front of her helmet-clad head against his back.

Oliver looked over his shoulder at Felicity, and she felt her pulse begin to pick up. She wondered if she ever had the same effect on him. Before tonight, her answer would have been an emphatic 'No,' but now she wasn't so sure. But before Felicity's thoughts turned into an embarrassing bout of nervous babbling, Oliver said, "We're not going home. Not yet."

She tightened her arms around his waist as he revved the Ducati to life and mentally filed away for later his use of the words "we" and "home."


	2. Chapter 2

Oliver was surprised at the emotion in his voice when he asked Felicity to get on the Ducati. He was caught even more off guard when Felicity didn't put up much resistance. There was a flash of something in her eyes — understanding, maybe? — that made his stomach flip.

The night around them darkened as they left behind the softly lit streets of The Glades, and for the next 15 minutes Oliver tried to focus on what he would say when they reached their destination. It was all he could do to keep from thinking about the way Felicity's body felt pressed firmly against his back.

He felt her tense behind him as they pulled up to Queen Manor, and Oliver wondered if she was thinking about the last time they'd been there together.

He remembered everything about that night — the way his heart raced as he pulled her into the dark, empty foyer; how, even as they stepped inside, he was still trying to figure out another way. Every time Oliver closed his eyes, he could see her face as he told her he loved her.

Their plan to stop Slade hadn't made his confession any less true, but he wished he hadn't said it then, just like he wished he hadn't kissed her in the club tonight. The feelings and emotions behind both of those acts were real, but Felicity deserved better than a desperate declaration of love and a cover-kiss in the middle of a mission.

He drove past the main entrance and turned down a small access road that wove around to the back of the property, stopping in front of a large garden. The previously lush rose bushes were now wilting and overgrown. Oliver winced and made a mental note to come back in a few days and care for them. Off to the side was a wooden swing set that Oliver and Thea used to play on as children. He shut his eyes briefly, shaking away thoughts of his broken family.

He parked the bike, his eyes scanning the rest of the property to make sure it was secure. Satisfied, he turned toward Felicity. She stood a few steps back from him with her arms wrapped across her middle, as if she was trying to protect herself. "Why'd you bring us here?" She asked quietly.

Oliver's heart twisted at the reservation on her face and in her voice. He sighed deeply and ran a hand across the back of his neck. "You're mad. I know. I just.. I wanted to talk about all of this, and I don't know.. I've always felt safe back here.

Felicity's demeanor softened slightly, and she took a step forward, resting her hand on his forearm. Her touch sent a shot of warmth through Oliver's body and he instinctively closed his eyes. "I'm not mad at you, Oliver. I.. don't know what I am."

When he dared to look at her again, their eyes locked and a moment of silent understanding passed between them before Felicity released her hold on his arm. He turned and led them past the edge of the garden to the swing set.

Oliver leaned his shoulder against the wood frame as Felicity sat in one of the swings. She wrapped her arms around the metal chains and linked her hands together in front of her, rocking the swing back and forth slightly. The motion soothed Oliver and he watched her for a few moments, taking her in, memorizing the plains of her face and the way her golden hair shone under the moonlight.

"Thea and I spent hours out here when we were kids," he said, drawing Felicity's attention from the ground to his face. He smiled sadly and took a deep breath, knowing if there was ever a time for him to lay it all out there, that time was now. "She couldn't have been more than six or seven when my dad had this thing built for us. All she ever wanted to do was swing. She begged me to push her as high as I could, and I just remember her laughter.. It was the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard."

He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes to subdue the tears that had formed there. "My family is gone. They're all, just, gone."

"Oliver.. We'll find Thea. We'll get her back," she said, reaching for his hand.

"I know. I know we will, but this isn't about finding Thea," He searched for the right words, hoping it would all be enough to make Felicity understand. "My blood family is gone, but Felicity, you're my family too." He saw her still at his words. "And I can't lose you."

"You're not going to lose me, Oliver," Felicity said shakily, her voice betraying her. "I'm not going anywhere."

Oliver met Felicity's eyes and immediately saw the meaning of her words. He knew she wouldn't physically leave him or leave the team, but what went unspoken was that she was completely aware of this thing between them, and she was willing to wait until he was ready. He was filled to the brim with admiration and adoration for this woman, who was patient and loyal and brilliant, and most of all, deserving of someone better than him.

As if she'd read his mind, she said, "Don't you dare even think it, Oliver. You, of all people, deserve happiness."

Oliver closed his eyes and let her words sink in. He thought back to a few hours earlier, before he'd made a mess of things with Felicity, again, and he had a hard time believing her.

He'd wracked his brain for another way out as he strode down the long hallway toward Elena's office. By Diggle's estimate she was right on his heels and would arrive there just a minute or so after he did. He clamped by hands around the back of his neck in frustration, knowing exactly what he would have to do to get Felicity out safely. The flash drive be damned, getting Felicity out safely was now his prime objective. He pushed open the office door and his heart nearly stopped beating in his chest at the realization of what he'd have to do. He was going to have to kiss her. Right now. And the problem wasn't that he didn't want to kiss her, because Jesus Christ, sometimes kissing her was all he could think about. The problem was he'd spent the better part of two years fighting unrelenting feelings for his partner, and he knew as soon as he crossed that line he would come completely undone.

Felicity's voice snapped Oliver back to the present.

"Oliver, you've proven to be a fairly impulsive person when left to your own devices," she paused briefly and looked down at her hands, which were folded in her lap. "But not with me...with me everything is calculated."

Oliver swore his heart skipped a beat because, as always, she'd figured him out. Everything he did in regards to her, every touch, every decision, every move he made was designed to keep her safe. For such a long time, reckless seemed to be Oliver's default setting, but not with her.

"You're too important," he said, his voice barely a whisper.

"That's ridiculous," She said, shaking her head incredulously but still not meeting his stare. She fidgeted slightly and the swing started to rock gently again. "Digg is just as important to the team as I am."

Felicity was good at masking her emotions and downplaying her importance, too good, if Oliver was being honest with himself. It was a commonality they shared — one that Oliver wished they didn't — and he refused let what happened between them at Posh become one more thing that was left unsaid.

"No, Felicity. You're too important to me."

Her eyes shot up to his as his admission washed over her. "Oliver, what are you saying?"

He knelt down in front of her and put his hands over hers on the chains, effectively halting the swing's movement. "What I'm saying, Felicity, is now that I've kissed you, I can't imagine not kissing you."

"Oliver.."

"No, listen," he said, his eyes not moving from hers. By the way she was worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, Oliver could tell she had plenty to say, and he wanted to hear all of it, but not yet. He wasn't quite finished. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that the first time I told you how I really felt was because I was leaving you to be kidnapped by a madman. I was terrified that one, or both of us, was going to die. I'm sorry that I kissed you tonight, when I knew what the consequences would be. I'm so goddamn sorry that every time I turn around I'm hurting you. All I want to do is keep you safe, but half the time it seems like you need someone to keep you safe from me."

He paused and took a long, shaky breath, and Felicity took that as her cue, "Are you finished?" she asked, quietly.

"No." Oliver moved his hands from hers and placed them gently on either side of her face. She instinctively wrapped her fingers around his wrists. "I'm tired. I'm so tired of this dance we've been doing for the past year. These feelings that I have for you are real, but I'm still so terrified that if I give in to them completely that something's going to happen to you, and I could never live with myself if you got hurt because of me. It's like this constant pull between my head and my heart."

He paused again, still waging an internal battle with himself, but the hopeful look in Felicity's eyes broke down the last of Oliver's walls. When he spoke again his voice was thick with emotion. "I am so in love with you, Felicity, that every time you walk into a room it makes my head spin."

There it was. Oliver's heart was laid out in front of her, and all Felicity had to do was take it. He was close enough to see the heavy rise and fall of her chest, and he knew she could feel the rapid beat of his pulse under her fingers.

Felicity blinked several times, and the corners of her mouth twitched up into a small smile. She opened her mouth to speak, but another voice jolted them from their spell.

"That was all so disgustingly sweet."

Oliver's head whipped around to see Elena standing about 30 yards away. He was on his feet in an instant, pushing Felicity behind him. "How the hell did you find us here?" he asked through gritted teeth. He could feel Felicity's fingers digging into his back, and for the second time that night, his only goal was to get her away from Elena.

She smiled smugly and swung her thick, dark hair over one shoulder. "What? You think you're the only one in town who knows how to track someone?" Elena took a few steps closer then pulled a Smith & Wesson from the waistband of her pants. "Give. Me. My. Flash drive," she bit out, pointing the gun directly at Oliver's chest.

"Stall her," Felicity whispered, shifting against Oliver's back, and he knew she was activating the tracker and panic mode on her phone to let Diggle know they needed backup.

He reached one arm around and found her, pressing her as close to him as possible. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Elena laughed, her eyes cutting over Oliver, and she cocked her head to the side. "I didn't give you enough credit, Queen. I took all the stories about you and your playboy ways for face value. And sure, I was pissed when I saw that blonde bitch pressed up against my office wall instead of me, but I wasn't surprised."

She took another step, and Oliver squared his body with hers, trying to keep Felicity out of her line of sight. "But then something occurred to me. She looked way too familiar to be just some random slut you picked up in my club, so I did some digging. Imagine my surprise when I found several photos of you and Miss Smoak over there at a charity gala last spring." Elena rolled her eyes lazily, and the smile that crossed her lips made Oliver's skin crawl. "Screwing your executive assistant really is so cliché. You must be pretty good in bed though, if you convinced her to help you break into my club."

He realized then that Elena didn't know he was The Arrow. She was just coming after Oliver Queen. He felt the muscles in his jaw tick, but his face remained impassive. Elena took another step then cocked the hammer of the gun. "I'm not a very patient woman, and I'm not going to ask you again."

Oliver needed to get to the Ducati where he had his own sidearm stashed, and he knew he was running out of time. The sudden sound of sirens in the distance had Elena looking over her shoulder long enough for Oliver to make his move. He tightened his grip on Felicity and felt her nod in understanding against his back. He turned into her, shielding her from Elena's gunfire, and they took off running toward his bike.

"Get to the main road. SCPD should be close. Don't stop and don't look back." Oliver yelled as they ran. When they reached the path he pushed her in front of him and they dove behind the Ducati. He pulled the gun from a side pouch and unloaded two shots for cover before realizing Felicity hadn't moved. "GO FELICITY! GO!"

Elena had stopped firing, probably to reload, giving Oliver a small window of time to attack. He looked back quickly to make sure Felicity was out of the line of fire and then rolled out from behind the Ducati and fired two more rounds. A howl from Elena followed by a thud on the ground let him know he'd hit his mark.

Oliver approached her cautiously, and saw that he'd shot her in the leg. She reached for her gun, which had fallen from her grasp when she hit the ground, but Oliver kicked it away and trained his own weapon on her. "It's over, Elena. The police will be here in less than two minutes."

She let out a shrill laugh and narrowed her eyes. "Do you really think I came here alone?"

Oliver heard someone approaching from behind, but when he turned to engage the assailant he felt white-hot pain shoot through his temple. He crumpled to the ground and the world around him faded to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My original intent for this next chapter was to write it from Oliver's perspective to parallel the first, but it just wasn't coming together fluidly and didn't really do much to move the plot along. Instead, Chapter 2 picks up where Chapter 1 left off. I'm pleased with how it turned out, and I hope you are too.
> 
> Also, a very special thanks to Bogart, my wonderful beta!


	3. Chapter 3

Felicity's lungs were burning by the time she reached the mansion's main road. She could see several police cars already pulling in through the front gate, so she moved toward the outskirts of the yard in an attempt to stay out of sight.

Once she was confident she wouldn't be seen, she paused and turned back to where Oliver and Elena had exchanged gunfire. Panic began to bubble up in Felicity's chest when several quiet minutes ticked by and Oliver still hadn't emerged.

"Oliver, come on," she said to herself. "Where are you?" Felicity considered going back to find him, knowing he'd be furious if she did. Before she could move, a large hand wrapped around her face, muffling her startled cry.

She brought her elbow up and jammed it into her attacker's ribcage just as his other arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her behind a nearby tree. The force of her impact was enough to loosen his grip, but before she could get very far, his hand caught her by the arm and hauled her back.

"Shh, Felicity. It's me." She spun around to see Diggle rubbing the spot where her elbow had connected with his ribcage.

"Digg, what the hell," she hissed, sucking in a deep breath to calm her racing heart.

"I'm sorry," he said, guiding her farther back behind the large tree. "I didn't want the cops to hear us."

Felicity scrunched her face, and glanced out to see four officers and a K-9 unit prowling the front of the property. "Why not? Oliver's probably got Elena pinned down out there. If Lance is here he can help bring her in."

"Felicity.. Elena's gone," Diggle paused briefly, and the edge in his voice made Felicity's stomach drop. "And she's got Oliver.

Diggle's words left Felicity reeling. She felt her knee buckle and gripped onto his forearm to steady herself.

"3..2..1.." She counted backwards then took a deep breath in an attempt to regain her compsure. "Digg, where's the flash drive?"

"I left it at the foundry with Roy."

"We need to get back there now." Felicity said, feeling her initial terror slowly morphing into focus. The only thing that mattered now was finding Oliver.

Diggle nodded and motioned for her to follow him back toward the garden where he'd hidden the car.

"Miss Smoak," Felicity turned at the sound of Lance's voice. He raised an eyebrow at her in curiosity but didn't bother to ask why she'd been hiding behind a tree with Oliver Queen's bodyguard. "Can you tell us anything about what happened here?"

"Detective, please. I'll tell you everything later, but right now I need to get in touch with The Arrow," desperation laced Felicity's voice as she tried to keep herself together.

Lance looked to Diggle, who nodded. He turned back to Felicity, who was chewing the mint-colored polish off her thumbnail. "Ok," Lance said, glancing behind him at the group of officers. "But you tell our mutual friend to keep me in the loop."

She gave the detective a small smile and followed Diggle into the shadows. Somewhere in the distance she heard Detective Lance call, "No one over here boys. Lets check the house."

The 20-minute car ride back to Verdant felt like an eternity to Felicity. She tried to focus on what Digg was saying but found it hard to think about anything other than the way Oliver looked at her as he bared his soul not one hour ago. 

"Felicity? Did you hear me?" Diggle asked, yanking her out of her reverie.

"Yeah. Something about pulling onto the access road just as Elena's men were hauling Oliver into a van. Couldn't get to them in time." she said, unable to control the break in her voice.

"Listen to me. We're going to get him back," Digg said, squeezing Felicity's hand.

She nodded and wiped fallen tears from her face. "We have to."

When the pair entered the foundry they found Roy hunched over Felicity's desk. He was so focused on the hundreds of pages of documents and blueprints from the flash drive that he barely registered the hurried clack of her shoes on the concrete floor.

"Roy!"

He jumped from the seat, nearly tripping over himself when he stood. A rushed apology flew from his lips. "I'm sorry. I know you hate when we touch your computers, but I was going crazy just sitting here. I wanted to do something.. So I started going through the flash drive."

"Roy, it's ok," Felicity said, cutting him off with a hand on his arm. The familiarity of the gesture flooded her without warning, and for a second she swore she could feel the warmth of Oliver's palm on her shoulder. She closed her eyes and tilted her head slightly so that her cheek was pressed to her shoulder where his hand would have been.  **  
**

Roy cleared his throat, and when she opened her eyes, he was staring at her with furrowed eyebrows. She ignored his questioning look and pointed toward the computer screen. "What'd you find?"

"Actually, I didn't find a whole lot," Roy said, and Felicity could tell by his flared nostrils and clenched jaw that he was frustrated. "Mostly just legal documents and club blueprints. Definitely nothing related to Vertigo."

Felicity sunk down into her chair and began running facial recognition searches on Oliver and Elena. "There has to be something here. She tracked us down because she wanted whatever is on this flash drive."

With Diggle over one shoulder and Roy over the other, the trio began combing every document looking for any clues that would lead them to Oliver's whereabouts.

"Damnit. We've been doing this for nearly an hour, and we're still at square one," Roy said, slamming his hands against Felicity's desk. "We're wasting time."

Before Felicity had a chance to respond her phone rang from atop her desk, a blocked number popping up across the caller ID. She exchanged glances with Diggle, who pushed the phone toward her.

She picked up the phone and took a deep breath, steeling her nerves. "Hello?"

"Miss Smoak. I'm so glad you could take my call." Felicity's eyes widened at Elena's voice on the other end, which was loud enough for Diggle and Roy to hear. Diggle immediately reached around to Felicity's keyboard and began running a trace on the call.

"Where's Oliver?" Felicity asked, her panic now mixed with anger, and she was suddenly aware that this must have been how Oliver felt when The Count took her last year.

"Oliver is.. Alive," Elena responded casually. Her menacing tone made Felicity lightheaded. "But he won't stay that way for long if you don't bring me my flash drive."

Diggle held up one finger, letting Felicity know that he needed another minute to capture the trace. "Show me that he's OK. I want proof of life, now."

Elenda laughed into the phone. "I figured you might."

A few seconds later Felicity's phone beeped with a new text message. She swallowed hard, her finger hovering over the screen. She opened the message before she could change her mind, and the image that popped up made bile rise in her throat.

Oliver was sitting on a concrete floor, propped up against a wooden beam with his hands tied behind his back and his feet bound in front of him. Felicity could see a dirty cloth gagged across his mouth. Both dried and fresh blood covered his face, neck and hands, and a red stain blossomed across his thigh. His eyes were open, but she could tell that he was fighting to remain conscious.

"One hour, Miss Smoak," Elena's voice cut back across the line. "One hour and then Oliver Queen is dead."

The call disconnected, and Felicity felt hot tears stinging her eyes. She blinked them back, unwilling to break down again when Oliver needed her focused and whole. The last time Felicity felt this helpless was last year after Oliver's first attempt at taking down Cyrus Gold. She'd found him lying unconscious amid rubble from the fight, a syringe filled with an unidentifiable substance jammed into his leg.

"Did you get the trace?" She asked, turning to Diggle, whose knuckles were turning white from the tight drip he had on her desk.

"They're at a warehouse in the glades. It looks like it's on the same block as Elena's club," Diggle said, placing a hand on her shoulder. He turned toward the glass case that housed Oliver's leather suit. "I think it's time The Arrow paid this crazy chick a visit."

A smile crossed Roy's face, and he strode across the foundry, grabbing his own red leather suit from a second glass case.

While Roy and Diggle changed, Felicity turned her attention back to the flash drive's documents. She scanned a couple of pages, and suddenly everything clicked into place.

"GUYS! Get out here now!" Diggle and Roy were at Felicity's side in an instant. Her fingers were flying over the keyboard, and a hint of a smile played on her lips. "She's keeping the drugs inside the club."

Roy leaned over her shoulder at the document on the computer. "How do you know? We haven't seen anything out of the ordinary on the security feed, and that's just an inventory list. "

"It's not just an inventory list," Felicity said. She turned back to the screen and pointed to the third item on the page, called V2. "On a hunch I ran a quick decryption program, and the ingredients list to this particular liquor came up. Only, it's not liquor at all. It's Vertigo. She's been hiding it in plain sight and probably running distribution out of Posh for months."

"Nice work Felicity," Diggle said. "Call Lance. Tell him the Vertigo is at the club and to get his officers there."

Felicity grabbed her phone dialed Lance's number. He answered on the second ring. "Detective, we know where Oliver is. The Arrow is on his way to the Elena Torino's storage warehouse. Get your men to her club. She's storing the Vertigo in bottles labeled V2."

Dropping the phone back into her pocket, Felicity started after her leather-clad partners. She paused behind them as Roy punched in the back door's security code, and for the first time since this nightmare began she felt some semblance of confidence return.

She picked up Oliver's bow, running her thumb and forefinger down its string, then and held it out for Diggle to take. "He's going to need this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for sticking with me, guys! I hope you liked this chapter — Let me know what you think! The next one will definitely be action-packed and involve lots of Team Arrow doing their thing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The penultimate chapter has arrived! I know the last couple of chapters haven't had a lot of Olicity, but I promise your patience will pay off. The final chapter will be chalked full of our favorite vigilante and his Girl Wednesday.
> 
> Once again, thank you SO much to Bogart for your awesome edits and suggestions. This chapter kicked my ass, and I'm so grateful for your help!
> 
> And thank you to everyone who's read and reviewed and stuck with me through my first foray into multi-chapter fics! I love you guys!

Oliver felt the fog of unconsciousness lifting as the pain of his injuries began to register. He cracked opened his eyes, blinking a few times to catch his bearings, and was immediately struck by the throbbing in his head and the stickiness of blood on his face. He shifted slightly against the ropes around his wrists and decided that, with a little maneuvering, he'd be able to slip the knot. He moved his legs to test the knot around his ankles, and a dull pain spread through his left thigh. He glanced down to see his pant leg covered in blood, and gritted his teeth as he remembered the smart remark he'd made to Elena that'd earned him a bullet there.

He scanned the rest of the dimly lit room and was able to determine that he was in some type of warehouse. Two men stood guard at each of the two entry points, though none of them had noticed that Oliver was awake. He heard voices somewhere outside the room — Elena and a man Oliver couldn't identify — and hoped Felicity had been able to figure out his location.

His thoughts were cut short as Elena strolled through the front set of doors, followed by an older man carrying a metal briefcase. Behind them was an armed bodyguard wheeling a wooden crate.

She approached Oliver, rounding the pillar where he was tied, and stopped in front of him, squatting down so that they were eye level. "Nice of you to join us, Mr. Queen," She drawled, tracing a manicured finger down his jawline.

He narrowed his eyes and jerked his head to the side, away from her touch. Her hands on his face made his stomach churn, and he wanted nothing more than to break every one of her fingers.

Oliver's reaction only served to fuel Elena's mirth, however, and she flashed him a venomous smirk. "Oh, don't be like that, Oliver. I think we could've had some fun together." She feigned a pout and stood, poking his injured thigh with the toe of her stiletto in the process. "But since you clearly have terrible taste in women, I'll let you out of here just as soon as you've served your purpose."

Pain shot through Oliver's leg at the contact, making his head swim. "And what, exactly, would that be?" He asked, through a clenched jaw. He needed to keep Elena distracted for as long as possible until he could get the ropes loose enough to slip his hands through.

"I'm so glad you asked." She turned and motioned toward the guard, who brought the crate forward. The man grabbed a nearby crowbar and popped the lid off, revealing what looked like bottles of liquor.

Elena removed a bottle and turned it over in her hands, allowing Oliver to see the label. "V2?" he asked, and before she could respond, Oliver knew the answer. "You're hiding the Vertigo inside your club, in plain sight."

"It really is the perfect set up," she said, twisting the cap off the bottle and producing a syringe from the pocket of her jacket. "We had to find a way to distribute the Vertigo without anyone finding out where it was coming from. The improved formula is colorless, odorless and tasteless. It's the perfect cocktail mixer."

Oliver felt bile rise in his throat at thought of how many people she'd unknowingly drugged. "You're poisoning your patrons."

"Yes," She said, twirling the empty syringe between her fingers. "And I'm doing it much more successfully than The Count ever did. They're hooked after a couple of drinks, and pretty soon they're itching to get their hands on their very own bottles of V2. My people are more than happy to oblige."

Oliver worked the ropes around his wrist as Elena stalked around the crate of drugs. He had to suppress a smug grin when he felt the knot loosen enough to slip his left hand through. "So this.." Oliver asked, nodding toward the syringe Elena had just filled with Vertigo, "is what? Punishment? Payback?"

"This has very little to with anything other than the fact that you're a spoiled, rich prick who picked the wrong woman to screw with," she said flatly, then turned toward the man with the briefcase. "Injecting you with the Vertigo will serve as a demonstration for my new potential buyer. You see, while my method is reaching a broader scope of people, there are those who still prefer their fix the old fashioned way."

While Elena ranted, Oliver's attention was drawn upward. Barely perceptible footsteps on the roof meant his team had arrived. Glancing around the room quickly, he allowed a small grin to show when he realized no one else had noticed the noise.

Inside the van, Felicity clicked on her comm link and gave Diggle and Roy exactly three minutes to get into position. "Guys, the thermal scan shows eight bodies. Digg, you'll have two guards outside the main entrance and two more on the inside stationed at the back door. Four others, including Oliver, should also be inside," she said, fingers flying across the tablet in her lap. "Roy, according to the warehouse blueprints, the skylight will drop you down into the center of the room."

On the roof, Roy crept toward the skylight and peered into the warehouse. He could see figures inside but was unable to get a clear view of their faces, and if he moved any closer he risked being seen. "There's someone right below me. How do we know it's not Oliver?"

Though the comm, Felicity could hear the reticence in his voice. She chewed her bottom lip and let out a heavy breath. "We don't."

"Right."

"All right, Felicity. I'm in place," Diggle said. He hooked Oliver's bow onto his back and grabbed his gun, tightening the silencer into place, before rounding the building toward the pair of guards. "Just say the word."

Felicity turned her attention back to the thermal scan, waiting until the six bodies inside were grouped together as tightly as possible. She signaled for them to engaged just a few seconds later. "Guys, be careful."

"Always," Diggle said, keeping to the shadows as he made his way toward the front of the building. He knocked the first guard unconscious with the butt of his gun and slipped around the second, easily putting him into a sleeper hold. He slumped to the ground, leaving Diggle unattended at the entrance. "All clear. Roy, on my count. 3..2..1.."

Diggle kicked through the door, drawing the attention away from Oliver. The guards at the back door charged forward, and in the commotion, Oliver reached around and untied the ropes binding his ankles together. He hauled himself to his feet, using the pillar for support.

Shattered glass rained from the skylight as Roy repelled down into the fight. He launched two arrows mid-air into a bodyguard's arm and leg, pinning him to the floor. His feet hit the ground, and propelled by his own momentum, he easily dodged a punch to his left side. The assailant crumpled to the ground as Roy spun around, cracking him across the face with his bow.

"Felicity, call Lance. Tell him to get his men here now!" Diggle shouted at her through the comm just as the three more guards burst through the front door and opened fire.

"Digg, behind you!" Oliver shouted, ducking behind a stack of crates. He surveyed the large space and found the Diggle had taken cover as well.

"Blondie, we need some help here," Roy said into his comm from behind a large stack of crates. "We're pinned down."

"Give me a second," her fingers flew over the tablet, a triumphant smile spread across her mouth as she hacked into the warehouse's mainframe. "One diversion, coming right up."

The warehouse plunged into darkness, and Oliver closed the short distance between himself and Diggle, who held out the bow and quiver for him to take.

"We've got three down," Digg whispered, peering out into the now quiet space. His eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness, and he was able to make out the top of Roy's hood, as well as three more assailants. "I don't have eyes on Elena."

Movement caught Oliver's attention, and he saw a wave of dark hair as Elena bolted across the back of the warehouse. "I do. Cover me."

He swung the quiver across his back and stood just as Diggle and Roy opened fire on the three remaining guards. "It's over, Elena."

The top of her head was visible over the short stack of crates she was hiding behind, but Oliver didn't have a clear shot. He needed to draw her out. Aiming at the stack 10 feet to her right, he let a trick arrow fly. It exploded upon impact and sent Elena running toward the back door. "I thought The Arrow never missed," she taunted.

"I don't miss," Oliver said quietly, gritting his teeth as he let two more arrows go. The first ripped through the bottom of her trench coat, and she stumbled. The second hit the wall behind her, winding a rope around her feet as it passed and sending her crashing to the ground.

"Felicity, hit the power," Diggle commanded. The room was flooded with light, allowing the three men to survey the warehouse. They counted six incapacitated guards inside and two more out front. The Vertigo buyer somehow slipped out during the fight.

Pain seeped back into Oliver's thigh as adrenaline from the fight began to wear off, and he slumped against a stack of crates for support. "Can one of you grab Elena?"

Roy turned toward the spot where she'd fallen, but the sound of a door slamming shut had him racing toward the back of the room. He opened and door and at his feet, just outside, were the ropes that were tied around her ankles.

"She's gone," he said, turning to Oliver and Diggle. "She's fucking gone."

Panic began to claw at Oliver's insides, as he realized that if Felicity was out there, she was a sitting duck.

"Diggle, where's Felicity?"

"She's in the van, parked on the street," he said, looping his arm across Oliver's back for support as they exited the building. Behind them Roy secured the doors, locking the unconscious men inside until SCPD arrived.

"Felicity? You there?" Diggle asked through the comm link.

Oliver held his breath, and the few seconds of silence before she responded felt like the longest moments of his life.

"I'm here," she said, pressing her fingers to the comm in her ear. It was a habit she'd formed, something she did when she was worried about them. "Are you guys all right? Is Oliver OK?"

Diggle grunted, and in the background Felicity could hear him mutter something to Roy about helping him "get Oliver's heavy ass back to the car."

"Digg, is he OK?" she asked again. Patience wasn't a line Felicity was willing to toe at that moment.

"Not the worst I've seen him," Diggle said in a noticeably easier tone. "But he's got a GSW to the thigh. It's a through and through."

"I'm. Fine." Oliver ground out, and Felicity could almost hear his jaw clenching through Diggle's comm. She sat back in her seat and let out short-lived breath of relief.

"Elena and her buyer escaped," Oliver said into the comm that he'd taken from Diggle's ear. "We need to get Digg and Roy out of here before SCPD arrives. Bring the van around to the front of the building. And Felicity.. Please be careful."

Diggle eased Oliver to the ground and began tying strips of cloth around the gunshot wound to staunch the bleeding. "It doesn't look too bad," he said. "It just needs cleaned and stitched."

Oliver nodded and lightly clapped his friend on the shoulder, "Thank you. Both of you."

"Any day I get to jump through a roof and shoot arrows mid-air like a total badass, is a good day," Roy said, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Oliver rolled his eyes in feigned annoyance. "We need to get back to the foundry and start tracking Elena." A slight rustle in the trees had him glancing over his shoulder. "With the sun coming up she couldn't have gotten very far unnoticed."

"Not very far, at all, actually."

The voice had the three men's heads whipping around to find Elena standing just a few feet behind Oliver. Diggle and Roy had their weapons trained on her in an instant, but she was too fast. Before either of them could get a shot off, Elena had her gun pressed to the back of Oliver's head. She picked up his bow and quiver, which he'd set on the ground next to him, and tossed them behind her.

"Make a move, gentlemen, and he's dead," Elena said, making sure she was partially shielded by Oliver and the tree he was propped against. The position of her body made it impossible for either man to get a clean shot.

Oliver looked to Diggle, whose expression told him not to engage.

"You've really made a mess of my entire day," she bit out, reaching into her jacket pocket and producing the syringe of Vertigo.

"I think your day's about to get a little worse," Roy said, nodding to something behind her and drawing the attention away from Oliver.

Elena turned in time to see a flash of blonde hair before an arrow tore through her bicep. She crumpled to the ground, clutching her arm in pain, and Diggle surged forward to secure her.

"Nice shot, Blondie," Roy said, laughing. He exchanged a look with Diggle, who looked just as shocked as the injured woman pinned beneath his knee.

But Felicity paid no mind to any of them. Her grip of the bow loosened, and it fell at her feet. She was by Oliver's side an instant later, his wide-eyed expression mirroring her own.

"Hi," she breathed, kneeling next to him.

Oliver hauled her to his chest, burying his face in her hair as they sat together in the dewy grass. "Hey."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right, guys, here's the final chapter! Writing this fic has been a lot of fun, as well as a challenge, and every single one of your follows, favorites and reviews have kept me going! Thank you all so, so much. I hope I've wrapped this up in a way you'll all enjoy.
> 
> And thank you, once again, to Bogart, who's been such a fantastic beta!

"She shot me!" Elena shouted as Lance guided her down into the police cruiser. "That bitch put an arrow through my arm!"

"This one?" Lance asked, pointing over his shoulder at Felicity, and Elena nodded emphatically. "Lady, you must be high on your own drugs if you expect me to believe Felicity Smoak shot you with an arrow."

Felicity and Oliver could hear Elena's frantic cries from inside the car even after Lance slammed the door shut. He threw a knowing glancing over his shoulder at the pair.

"Where is our mutual friend, anyway?" Lance asked, noticing the protective way Oliver ran his hands over Felicity's arms as he held her to his side.

Her eyes flickered up to Oliver's, and she shrugged, "You know how vigilantes can be, Detective."

Lance grunted, rolling his eyes. "We'll still need statements from the both of you."

"Tomorrow," Oliver said. It was more of a statement than a question, and Lance nodded.

"Yeah, yeah," Lance sighed and gestured toward his cruiser. "I've still got to get this one booked, anyway. We've got enough evidence to lock Elena Torino up for a long time. The vigilante and Miss Smoak, here, helped us bust a major Vertigo distribution ring tonight."

"Well, she is certainly something special," Oliver said, pride exuding from his voice.

"She certainly is," Lance said, smiling affectionately at the blonde.

"Uh, guys. She is right here," Felicity said, crinkling her nose in feigned annoyance. It was quite possibly the cutest thing Oliver had ever seen her do.

The detective chuckled and ducked down into his cruiser. He rolled the window down and poked his head out as he pulled away. "Hey, Queen, looks like your bodyguard finally decided to join the party."

Oliver glanced over his shoulder and saw Diggle dressed in street clothes and leaning against the Bentley. He held up a finger, signaling that they'd need a minute. Diggle nodded in silent understanding.

Once Lance's car pulled out of earshot, Oliver turned Felicity in his arms so they were facing one another, his hands still moving up and down her arms. The look on his face was as if she might disappear if he let her go, and it made Felicity's breath catch in her throat.

"You shot her," he whispered, his eyes searching her face. "You could've killed her."

"I didn't, though," she said, reaching up to still his hands. "I didn't kill her, but I would have if it meant saving you."

Oliver's chin dropped and he sucked in a breath. "No."

"No?"

"No," he repeated, his hands stilling on her forearms. "You're not supposed to have blood on your hands."

"Hey, look at me." Felicity slid a hand down the scruff on his face. She could feel his unsteady breath on her fingers as he turned into her touch. Stepping closer, she pressed her other hand over the spot on his chest where he was marked with the Bratva tattoo. "It's no different for me than it is for you. If it comes down to your life or someone else's, I will always choose you."

Once again, she'd saved him. She'd been saving him since the moment he walked into her office with Deadshot's bullet-riddled laptop and a BS excuse. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes, but Felicity swiped them away before they could fall.

"Oliver, I know your intentions, however misguided they may have been, were always to protect me," she said. "But if tonight was any indication, it seems as if you're the one who needs protecting."

A second ticked by before Oliver realized she was teasing him, but he couldn't bring himself to smile. Instead he pressed his forehead to hers and closed his eyes, still reeling from the events of the last 12 hours.

"Felicity, I.." he began, sighing heavily.

She pulled back slightly and clamped a hand down over his mouth. "Nope. I'm not letting you take it back. Those things you said today.. You don't get to take them back."

He raised one eyebrow and murmured something inaudible behind her hand, but she just shook her head. "It's my turn now, so I'll move my hand if you promise not to say anything until I'm finished." Her eyes were filled with determination, and Oliver realized he didn't need to hear her words because he could see it all in the way she was looking at him.

"In the nearly three years I've known you, you went from a vigilante who was hell-bent on vengeance, to a hero willing to sacrifice everything to save his city. So yes, being The Arrow has played a part in make you into the man standing here in front of me," She dropped her hand and laced her fingers through his. "But being The Arrow is what you do; It's not who you are. Who you are is Oliver Queen, an inherently good man who, despite all you've been through, still tries to see the best in everyone. You're loyal and passionate and driven, and that doesn't even begin to cover all the reasons why I love you."

Oliver's pulse quickened at the ease at which Felicity said those words. He'd said them to her, twice now, but hearing her say "I love you" filled a void in Oliver's chest that he didn't realize existed until it was gone.

He opened his mouth to speak but she was nowhere near through.

"I'm aware of how challenging it's going to be. I mean, you'll probably be even more overprotective and bullheaded, and, of course, I'll posses the same amount of stubbornness as I do now.." Oliver raised his eyebrows in amusement at her assessment of them but remained quiet.

"And I know how dangerous our lives are, but I've never felt safer than I do when I'm with you. I chose this life, and now I'm choosing you.. us." Felicity closed her eyes and nodded decisively.

Oliver flashed that lopsided smile, the one he saved only for Felicity, and breathed her in. "How could you possibly think I want to take back anything I said before?"

Her eyes fluttered open, widening in surprise. He slid his free hand around to the back of her neck, drawing their faces impossibly close. Felicity's breath hitched, and she couldn't help it when her eyes flickered to the grin still playing on his lips. "What I was going to say, before you one-upped me with that speech, was that it terrifies me how much I love you, but I'm not going to spend one more day pretending that I don't."

Oliver closed the last few inches of space between them, pressing his lips to hers. He could feel Felicity smile against his mouth as she melted into him. Goosebumps ran through his body as her fingers corded through the short hairs at the back of his neck. This kiss was nothing like the first one they'd shared, full of pent up frustration and desire. This kiss was soft and slow and full of love and the unspoken promise that this was just the beginning.

Felicity pulled back first, breathless, and rested her forehead against Oliver's. He studied her face, searching for signs of uncertainty, and unsurprisingly, he found none. She was always steady and sure, and feeling comforted by that knowledge, he drew her hand up and pressed a kiss against her palm. His grin grew wide against her hand, and he let out a breath, feeling lighter than he had in years.

Oliver had convinced himself a long time ago that he was destined for a lonely life beneath the shadows of the hood, but somewhere along the way Felicity managed to do something no one else could; She brought him back to life. She became his salvation.

"Lets go home," Felicity said softly, her words mirroring the ones she spoke on the beaches of Lian Yu just a few months prior. She smiled up at him, and he was relieved to see the same peace in her eyes that he finally felt in his heart.

He didn't bother asking to whose place they would go. Their apartments were just brick and mortar, places they could lay their heads at night. Felicity was the only home Oliver needed, and he was already there.


End file.
